On the market: Top-grade home near university

Meg Barone

Updated 10:47 am, Friday, January 24, 2014

The house at 75 Deer Park Road is on the market for $1,799,000.
Photo: Contributed Photo

The house at 75 Deer Park Road is on the market for $1,799,000.

The living room at 75 Deer Park Road.
Photo: Contributed Photo

The living room at 75 Deer Park Road.

The kitchen has been updated to include granite counters, oak hardwood flooring and a large center island with butcher block counter top, as well as an eat-in area for additional seating.
Photo: Contributed Photo

Southport and Greenfield Hill are widely known for their imposing estates with untold numbers of amenities. But those kinds of properties are not limited to the town's waterfront or back country.

They may be fewer and farther between in the more densely populated middle of town, but one particular standout sits at 75 Deer Park Road in the neighborhood near Fairfield University. This updated antique Colonial house was built in 1939 and boasts 14 rooms, including a banquet-sized formal dining room, library with a wet bar, wine cellar and a cavernous master bedroom suite with a dressing room fit for royalty.

Outside, the 1.74-acre level and sloped property cradles a tennis court, outdoor stone fireplace, fire pit, several covered porches, balconies, terraced stone patios, paths and staircases. The professional landscaping of more than a dozen flower beds with irises, roses, hydrangeas, peonies and many more perennials also includes mature shrubbery and specimen trees.

The house is located on a cul-de-sac set back from the street on a hill. The two-story covered front porch is punctuated by six tall columns.

Almost every inch of the 6,800-square-foot house has elegant architectural detailing. The vestibule and front-to-back entry hall are marked by a black-and-white granite tile floor and Dutch door to a balcony that looks onto the backyard and tennis court.

Many rooms have raised panel wainscoting and chair rail, deep crown and shoe molding, and other millwork. Some rooms -- like the formal living and dining rooms, have random width, wide, handed-pegged oak hardwood flooring.

Every room has special features. Among the other living room features are a carved fireplace with the black marble surround, large bay window with fluted pilasters and decorative pediments, and a door to a balcony. The all-season garden room features a re-honed and polished terrazzo stone floor, Deco-style ceiling fan, custom-controlled cove lighting, and French doors to a stone terrace and koi pond.

The dining room has a custom-designed built-in sideboard and display cabinets, a wall of china cabinets hidden behind paneled doors, and built-in corner china cabinets. In the family room a rare wood -- Pecky Cypress, with long, narrow burrows -- covers the walls, and a window seat is flanked by built-in storage units.

In addition to three built-in bookcases and a media cupboard, the library or club room has a wet bar with honed limestone counter, dentil crown molding, a coffered ceiling and door to a balcony. There is a second wet bar in the lower level game room.

In 2005, the spacious kitchen was re-designed to include French White glazed wood cabinetry, granite counters, a hand-painted ceramic tile backsplash, oak hardwood floor, and a large center island with butcher block counter top, prep sink, wine cubby and breakfast bar. Additional dining space is available in the eat-in area.

There is a first-floor bedroom and five more bedrooms on the second floor. The master suite has an entrance hall with double cedar and other closets, built-in armoires, window seat, and built-in bookshelves. Features of the master bath include honed limestone counters, walk-in steam shower, deep soaking tub, and two water closets -- one with a commode and one with a bidet, both with pocket doors.

The walk-out basement has finished and unfinished areas. The finished portion contains the media room, game room, wine cellar, potting room, full bath, and two half baths. The unfinished side has a utility room, workshop, and access to the four-car attached garage and a dumbwaiter to send groceries up to the first floor pantry.

For more information or to set up an appointment to see the house contact Denise Walsh of Denise Walsh & Partners, an affiliate of William Raveis Real Estate, at 203-259-7653 or 203-650-1583.